Fanning, AL, O’Neill, DW, Hickel, J et al. (1 more author) (2022) The social shortfall and ecological overshoot of nations. Nature Sustainability, 5 (1). pp. 26-36.
Abstract
Previous research has shown that no country currently meets the basic needs of its residents at a level of resource use that could be sustainably extended to all people globally. Using the doughnut-shaped ‘safe and just space’ framework, we analyse the historical dynamics of 11 social indicators and 6 biophysical indicators across more than 140 countries from 1992 to 2015. We find that countries tend to transgress biophysical boundaries faster than they achieve social thresholds. The number of countries overshooting biophysical boundaries increased over the period from 32–55% to 50–66%, depending on the indicator. At the same time, the number of countries achieving social thresholds increased for five social indicators (in particular life expectancy and educational enrolment), decreased for two indicators (social support and equality) and showed little change for the remaining four indicators. We also calculate ‘business-as-usual’ projections to 2050, which suggest deep transformations are needed to safeguard human and planetary health. Current trends will only deepen the ecological crisis while failing to eliminate social shortfalls.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Limited 2021. This is an author produced version of a paper published in Nature Sustainability. Uploaded in accordance with the publisher's self-archiving policy. |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of Leeds |
Academic Units: | The University of Leeds > Faculty of Environment (Leeds) > School of Earth and Environment (Leeds) > Sustainability Research Institute (SRI) (Leeds) |
Funding Information: | Funder Grant number EU - European Union 752358 ESRC (Economic and Social Research Council) ES/T501955/1 |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Publications |
Date Deposited: | 25 Nov 2021 17:10 |
Last Modified: | 12 Jul 2022 15:02 |
Status: | Published |
Publisher: | Nature Research |
Identification Number: | 10.1038/s41893-021-00799-z |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:180834 |
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